Latresha is a unique and distinctive name of African American origin. Its meaning is not explicitly known, but it is believed to be derived from the combination of two names: Latisha and Tasha.
The name Latisha is thought to have been created by adding the prefix "Lati-" to the name Tisha or Tasha. The prefix "Lati-" may come from the Latin word "latus," which means side or flank, but it's more likely that it was chosen for its similarity to other popular names of the time with the "La-" prefix, such as Latoya and Lakesha.
Tisha or Tasha is a shortened form of the name Natasha, which has Slavic origins and means "born on Christmas" in Russian. However, since Latresha's popularity peaked in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s when there was no significant immigration from Russia, it is unlikely that its meaning holds any particular significance for most people named Latresha.
The name Latresha gained popularity during this time due to its association with prominent African American figures such as actresses like LaTanya Richardson Jackson (Samuel L. Jackson's wife) and athletes like Latasha "Tasha" Marbury, a former WNBA player who played alongside her sister, Tanya "TNT" McQueen.
Despite the lack of explicit meaning behind the name Latresha, it has become an iconic part of African American culture and continues to be used today. Its unique sound and spelling make it instantly recognizable, while its history reflects the cultural trends and influences of recent decades in the United States.
The name Latresha has a varied history of popularity in the United States, as indicated by the annual birth statistics from 1968 to 1996. The name first appeared in 1968 with five births that year. It experienced a steady increase in popularity over the next few years, reaching a peak in 1974 with 23 births.
The peak was maintained for several years, with 28 births each in 1976 and 1977, and 31 births both in 1978 and 1979. The name continued to be relatively popular throughout the early 1980s, with a total of 28 births in 1981 and 26 births in 1982.
However, the popularity of Latresha began to decline after the mid-1980s. There were only 32 births in 1983, followed by a significant drop to 19 births in 1984. The number of births continued to fluctuate but remained relatively low throughout the rest of the decade and into the early 1990s.
Despite the decline in popularity, Latresha has still been given to a total of 464 babies in the United States between 1968 and 1996. This shows that while the name may not have been extremely popular throughout its history, it was still chosen with some frequency by parents during this period.
Overall, these statistics provide an interesting snapshot of the popularity of the name Latresha over a span of nearly three decades in the United States. Despite fluctuations in popularity, the name has been given to a notable number of babies over the years.